Friday, June 13, 2014

ANDERS, Lou. Frostborn. illus. by Justin Gerard. 320p. (Thrones and
Bones: Bk. 1). Crown. Aug. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780385387781. Gr 5-8–Karn
would rather be playing his beloved board game, “thrones and bones,”
than learning to become hauld of his father’s farm, which has been
passed down many generations. He meets Thianna, a half-giant, half-human
girl who longs to fit in with the club-wielding frost giants, the only
community she’s ever known. When a tragedy reminiscent of Shakespeare’s
Hamlet occurs, the two pair up in order to survive. They soon realize
the danger that they’re in and that they need each other’s unique skills
to survive. Aside from the sometimes difficult-to-decipher Norse names,
the language is quite easy to understand and that, coupled with the
shorter-than-your-average-fantasy length, makes this an excellent choice
for readers new to the genre. The themes of staying true to oneself,
teamwork, and individuality will resonate with readers. Fans of Matthew
Kirby’s Icefall (Scholastic, 2011) who bemoaned the lack of magic in
that book will enjoy this new series. A good addition to a fantasy
collection with potential for future entries.–Jessica Ko, Los Angeles
Public Library

Frostborn

Thrones and Bones

About Me

Lou Anders is the author of the Thrones and Bones series, a middle grade fantasy adventure that begins with the novel Frostborn, published by Random House’s Crown Books for Young Readers. He is a Hugo award winning editor and a Chesley Award winning art director, with six additional Hugo nominations, six additional Chesley nominations, three World Fantasy award nominations, a Shirley Jackson award nomination and a Philip K. Dick award nominations. For ten years, he served as the editorial director of Pyr books. Additionally, he is the editor of nine anthologies, including Swords & Dark Magic (Eos, 2010, with Jonathan Strahan), and Masked (Gallery Books, 2010). He is the author of The Making of Star Trek: First Contact (Titan Books, 1996), and has published over 500 articles in such magazines as The Believer, Publishers Weekly, Dreamwatch, DeathRay, Star Trek Monthly, Star Wars Monthly, Babylon 5 Magazine, Sci Fi Universe, Doctor Who Magazine, and Manga Max. His articles and stories have been translated into Russian, Spanish, Danish, Greek, German, Italian & French.